I know I said I was done talking about the Black Ops 2 ending, but I lied.
Anyways, let's break down the options one more time
Harper dies or Karma dies
Menendez dies or Menendez is spared
Alex shot in head or Alex shot in leg
Obviously, there is no single ending for BO2 that is cannon, but we can mismatch aspects that were directly affected by the plot to Frankenstein a cannon ending based on what BO7 tells us.
Cordis Die did happen, and that cannot happen in an ending in which Chloe lives, because Chloe would stop it. BUT, maybe Chloe didn't die. Maybe she was just incapacitated.
Looking at Chloe's death, she was shot in the head. Not great, however 10% of gunshot brain injuries do actually survive. There are factors that attribute to this, including:
People between 18 to 29 have the highest chance of survival, but risk goes up exponentially after 40. Chloe was 31, so technically not in the golden age range, but not old enough for it to be a liability.
She was shot with a pistol. Unfortunately that leads to a higher rate of mortality. Not great for her.
Obviously, some areas have better medical care than others. Karma is shot in the USS Obama, an aircraft carrier. Naval aircraft carriers in the US do have medical bays equipped to handle severe trauma. She would have access to medical treatment on the ship.
So, we're going to say that she WAS shot, and she simply survived. She usually has either gear or bangs covering the sides of her face, that's how it is possible that she has scars that she is covering up.
So, given the fact that there is a very slim chance Chloe/Karma lived being shot in the head, we're gonna say the ending in which she was shot is cannon. She was incapacitated, and therefore unable to stop the Cordis Die cyber attacks, but she was not dead.
Menendez Killed or Spared
This is confirmed in game. After Menendez is captured, David shot him. He is dead.
Alex Mason Shot in Leg or Head
This one is what really messes me up, because neither ending that we can get for Alex lines up right, thus Frankensteining a new ending.
So, in the ending that Alex lives, he reunites with Woods and David at the care home.
In the ending that Mason dies, Woods and David visit his grave and David says that he is retiring from the Navy.
We know that neither of these things happened because in BO7, David has no memory of an old man Alex and he is still in the Navy Seals.
But, we know that from the ending where Karma dies, Menendez lives, and Alex lives, that if Alex fears he is in danger, he will go back into hiding and will never meet David. So, despite Menendez dying, it is possible that Alex remained in hiding due to Cordis Die. Or maybe he chickened out because he was a shit dad, despite what David wants to think in BO7.
